The City of God

1943. Garda Inspector Stefan Gillespie, on a diplomatic mission for the Irish government, takes a train from the chaos of German-occupied Rome to the Reich itself. Late at night he waits for a long-delayed connection at an empty station in neutral Switzerland. He sees a train no one is meant to see. A train that shouldn't be there. A beating from the train's SS guards, who shouldn't be there either, leaves him badly injured. Recovering at an Irish diplomat's home, the story of Stefan's journey to Rome reveals something else that was never meant to be known. The brutal murder of an idealistic young priest in a defeated city, and the dark underbelly of espionage, deception and betrayal that the corruption of war has injected into the City of God itself... the Vatican.

Praise for Michael Russell

'Complex but compelling . . . utterly vivid and convincing' Independent on Sunday

'A superb, atmospheric thriller' Irish Independent

'A thriller to keep you guessing and gasping' Daily Mail

'Atmospheric' Sunday Times

After a successful career as a television writer and producer, working on such series as A Touch of Frost, Midsomer Murders and Between the Lines, Michael Russell decided to write what he had always wanted to: books.

The City in Darkness is the third of his Stefan Gillespie stories of historical crime fiction, taking a sideways look at the Second World War through Irish eyes, and exploring some unexpected corners of the conflict, such as Danzig, New York and, in The City in Darkness, the cities of Franco's Spain. The first two Stefan Gillespie novels, The City of Shadows and The City of Strangers were both shortlisted for Crime Writers' Association awards.

Michael lives with his family in West Wicklow, in Ireland, not a million miles from Stefan Gillespie's home.

Website: michaelrussellforgottencities.com

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Twitter: @forgottencities

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